Baby Cribs

[Mike OMelia]

OK, I build guitars, maybe one piece of furniture. My son wants us to build a baby crib. These things have safety issues. Advisable? Anybody have plans?

Mike

[jim sauterer]

I built my grand daughter a crib that turns into a full size bed.the plans were from wood magazine.that was 7 years ago but it came out great.have fun.

[Matt Day]

Definitely safety standards involved. Rail spacing, rail height, etc.

I didn’t build a crib for my kids because for all the effort involved it would have only gotten 3-4 years of use for my 2 kids. Didn’t seem worth it. Bought one used.

If you can plans for a convertible one that can be turned into a bed, that might be worth it - like Jim suggested.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Sorry to be piling on, but MAKE SURE you understand the safety issues - especially as it relates to spindle spacing, drop sides, mattress fit, etc... (these are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head; in no way comprehensive).

Or, consider a cradle?? It may get used less for a given child, but they are smaller, easier to store when not in use (or display), and maybe more likely to be passed on as an heirloom(?).

A noble project! Enjoy!

[John M. Smith]

I built one for my 2 children. And now my second granddaughter is sleeping in it. At the time I got plans and all the hardware needed from Rockler. Not sure if they still carry it. Hand turned all the spindles. Made a canopy for it too. I also made one for good friends at the same time. That was a lot of spindles to match. My wife didn't know I was making one for us. I just told her it was for Ken and Beth. Kept half of everything hid from her. After I got it finished, I set it up in the nursery while she was out. I really surprised her. I say go fir it. Have fun. It will be a family heirloom.

[Bill Dufour]

Make sure the spindle spacing is up to the newer standards. Older plans may be fine if the spindles get spaced close enough. It is not spaced so the head does not go through it is actually so the shoulders don't fit when the are on their side. That width is less then a head width. The kids go out feet first not head first.
Bill D

[Mel Fulks]

Cradles are out only when babies are out. New stuff on the floor is a trip hazard. I like the "above it all" cribs.

[Richard Coers]

A plastic teething cover on the top rail is a great idea. Use a finish that will stand up to puke, crap, and disinfectant. Fit between the bed and mattress is critical. Too much room and the baby can roll between them and suffocate. Buy a mattress first.

[Bill Dufour]

Do not use the bumper pads. They are a safety hazard.
Remember the 5 gallon buckets are a drowning hazard for toddlers with only a few inches of liquid in them. Article in the news here a family left a pot of beans on the floor to soak, they had a toddler, end of story.
Bil lD

[Jim Barstow]

I built a crib about 7 years ago and did a lot of research before building it. The safety standards are there for good reason and reflect many years of data collection. I built it so that the depth of the base could be moved up and down. For a young baby, you position it higher and as they grow, you move it down.

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[Jim Dwight]

I built a crib and changing table for my second grandson late last year. I used plans from Wood magazine which were pretty good. But if you use them, I would NOT put in the cross bolts. I found it difficult to get the holes to line up. It worked but was quite frustrating at times. The plans also suggest use of threaded inserts for the mattress height changes and I see no reason they could not also be used to hold the corners together. Another change I made was to eliminate the extra holes for when you use the headboard and footboard with rails as a double sized bed. When little Calvin is ready for that, I will just inlet the pieces for regular bed rail fasteners.

I used white tinted Resisthane as a finish. It is pretty tough. I sprayed it on. I hated to paint the maple I used but it is what my daughter in law wanted and it came out pretty good.

You did not mention a changing table but I will also comment on that. I just made a dresser I've made before and they like but I put a piece on top to keep him from rolling off. It is dadoed to go over the dresser top and then a couple screws hold it to the back. So when he is not an infant any more, the rolling protection comes off easily and you have a normal dresser. I did not see that in any plans, I just dreamed it up.

[Myles Moran]

Sorry to be piling on, but MAKE SURE you understand the safety issues - especially as it relates to spindle spacing, drop sides, mattress fit, etc... (these are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head; in no way comprehensive).

The other big one I learned of recently is any protrusions on top of the crib, like a decorative finial. Should the child manage to shimmy up the slats and get over the top (or partially over) you want to make sure that they'll have a clear fall to the mattress or floor without anything that could catch them on the way down.

[Dylan Wyatt]

Here's one I built for a this Christmas. Search the Google machine, you will find all of the requirements for rail spacing, height of rails, mattress size, etc...

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[Clark Hussey]

I used white tinted Resisthane as a finish. It is pretty tough. I sprayed it on. I hated to paint the maple I used but it is what my daughter in law wanted and it came out pretty good.

I am building a cherry convertible crib now. My Daughter wants it white. We settled on a white wash so some of the grain shows. Still haven’t decided on a top coat.

[johnny means]

Here's one I built for a this Christmas. Search the Google machine, you will find all of the requirements for rail spacing, height of rails, mattress size, etc...

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I built children's furniture exclusively for many years. Liability loomed large and I saw danger in everything. That bolt setup on the drop front scatters the bejesus out of me. I'd feel much better if they were the type that required a double action to open.

[michael dilday]

I built an entire bedroom suite for my grandson. Dresser, changing table, coloring table and a crib. The crib is a convertible crib that converts from a crib to a toddler bed to a twin bed. That way you get more years from it. Plans from WoodStore.net.

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[Mel Fulks]

There are accounts as old as the Bible of women losing a child by "over laying " them. But NO design changes have been
made in women! And I'm okay with that.

[mreza Salav]

Designed and built this over 10 years ago for our first child. All the commercial ones we saw were very low quality.
Both children used it as a crib and now it's turned into a double size bed.
The floor has two layers, one (as you see) for when an infant and one lower when a toddler. The two front sections get bolted to two long rails for a double size bed.

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[Jim Andrew]

My wife bought a new baby bed when the 1st granddaughter was born 15 years ago, and the front side can be moved up and down. That is now illegal. Make your sides the same height. Saves money for hardware. If I were going to build one, would go to garage sales and buy an old one for the springs and hardware. Would also give you a pattern and measurements.

[johnny means]

There are accounts as old as the Bible of women losing a child by "over laying " them. But NO design changes have been
made in women! And I'm okay with that.

It's pretty much universally agreed that sleeping with your infant is a bad idea. Every OBGYN/ midwife/ pediatrician advises strongly against it. So, in a way, mothers have been redesigned.

[Lee Schierer]

Here's one I built for a this Christmas. Search the Google machine, you will find all of the requirements for rail spacing, height of rails, mattress size, etc...

426754

With those four corner posts sticking up above the side rails, I don't believe your crib design meets the safety rules for infant cribs..the following is quoted from the CSPC: Check Your Crib for Safety

There should be:

A firm, tight-fitting mattress so a baby cannot get trapped between the mattress and the crib.

No missing, loose, broken or improperly installed screws, brackets or other hardware on the crib or mattress support.

No more than 2 3/8 inches (about the width of a soda can) between crib slats so a baby's body cannot fit through the slats; no missing or cracked slats.

No corner posts over 1/16th inch high so a baby's clothing cannot catch.

No cutouts in the headboard or foot board so a baby's head cannot get trapped.

Cribs that are incorrectly assembled, have missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats can result in entrapment or suffocation deaths. Infants can become stranguled when their head and neck become entrapped in gaps created by missing, loose or broken hardware or broken slats.

[Mike OMelia]

Yeah, starting to think this is a bad idea.

[Andrew Seemann]

I'd save "grandpa's woodworking" for something that will get used for more than a couple years and that they will remember.

Side note, I had the same iron crib that my grandmother used. All of her kids and grandkids used it. My dad did sandblast off the lead paint before my brother and I used it. That probably explains something, but I am not sure what:) For our kids, we just bought a new one from Babies R Us. Even though the old one was still available, my wife and I decided that infant safety technology had probably advanced in the last 90 years, and that after 65 years (from my grandmother to my brother) the family had gotten their money's worth out of it.

[Jim Becker]

I haven't commented so far, but my thoughts...in addition to the safety challenges for building a crib, there is also the real fact that a crib is a pretty short term use piece of furniture for many families. Convertible is nice, but that just "adds to the fun". What I might do in this situation is to acquire a reasonably priced commercial offer that is the style and color that the recipient wants for the baby's room and then MAKE the complimentary furniture pieces which tend to be things that are approachable to build and flexible enough to be used for a much longer time; maybe up to the point where the child becomes more of an adolescent/teen and can fully express their own tastes.

[Mel Fulks]

I've enjoyed this thread ,and learned some stuff. Was just reading other sources and I looked up Sudden Infant Death
Syndrome. With most of the deaths the parents do not see or hear anything happening. All of the "safe" habitat shown
is pretty hard to see into. I submit that for the safe designs to be effective they need a mike and video camera above them.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Use a finish that will stand up to puke, crap, and disinfectant.I'll just add - ammonia....
Newborns (up to about 18 months) are tiny powerful ammonia factories. When you get the first wiff of the diaper pail - you'll know why I said this.

Ammonia is the solvent for shellac and many of the acrylic latex paints.

Alkyds are usually resistant.